Apparatus for eliminating bloops in spliced sound-on-film moving picture positive films



2,135,684 ONFILM Nov. 8, 1938. 'T. J. WALSH ET AL APPARATUS FOR ELIMINATING BLOOPS IN SPLICED SOUND MOVING PICTURE POSITIVE FILMS Filed March 6, 1936 INVENTORV IIIIIIIIIIIEE rfzomasJWa isk Joly]? finia /1771'; MBA/(A ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNlTED STATES PATENroFrics SPLICED SO-UND-ON-FILM MOVING PIC- TUBE POSITIVE FILMS Thomas J. Walsh, West Hempstead, and John Antofilli, Astoria, N. Y.

Application March 6, 1936, Serial No. 67,436

17 Claims.

- The present invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for making and applying socalled bloop eliminators on mended or spliced sound-on-film moving picture positive film.

Where positive film having a sound track has been spliced in the usual way, usually with a loss of sound sequence, the passage of the positive film past the sound reproducing means with the 11,9 spliced section will cause the reproducer to create a sound known as a bloop, when the patched part passes the reproducer.

It has been found that if a triangular blanking of the patched sound track section is effected, to mask the interrupted section of the sound track completely out by a gradual increase and decrease of the masking blank, in contour, the spliced sound track passes the sound reproducer substantially without blooping.

One outstanding feature of the present improvement is in the manner of applying the bloop eliminator, its present form being in the form of a patch, or cut out light-proof, mask, being cut from a strip of gummed, opaque material of flexible nature, and applied directly, after the cutting thereof, to the spliced sound-wave track, by the means which cut the bloop patch from the strip.

A further feature of novelty and advantage is in the rolled strip of bloop patch material.

Another advantage is in the provision of means for holding the spliced film and its interrupted sound track in registering relation with the bloop patch strip, so that the cutting out of the bloop patch and its instant application to the spliced sound track portion of the film is quickly and accurately accomplished.

I-Ieretofore, bloop eliminators have been stamped or printed upon the sound track with an 40 opaque ink.

The foregoing and other features of advantage will be apprehended as the herein description proceeds and it is obvious that modifications may be made in the methods and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit hereof or the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing, I

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a bloop patch cutting and patch applying device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device taken on the line 22, Fig. 1, looking in the direc tion of the arrow;

Fig, 3 is a transverse sectional View taken -on line 3-3, Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken across the cutting punch, at 4-4, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary length of the bloop patch strip, with a portion of the bloop patch material lifted to show the structure of the patch material conveyor strip; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmented view of a spliced soundon-film positive, illustrating the spliced sound track with a bloop patch covering the interrupted sound sequence track.

The blooppatch' cutter and applier generally denoted by I, Fig. 1, is substantially in the form of a hand operated punch, having a base 2, a table 3, supported by integral webs 4-4 between the base and the overhanging horizontal table. An integral, upstanding rear wall, of suitable contour, Fig. 1, is arranged to support an operative bloop patch feeding cutting and applying means To this end the rear Wall 5, which constitutes, with the base 2 and table 3, the frame of the device, is provided with a bloop patch strip feed opening 1, Figs, 1 and 2 through which is fed, from a roll- 50, at the rear of Fig. 2, a combined bloop patch strip C and its conveyor strip generally denoted by 50, Fig. 5, to be described in detail later.

Above the opening I is located a gibway 6, Figs. 2 and 3, which slidably mounts therein a plunger slide 9, the slide being held in operative position in said gibway by opposed gib-plates Ill-Ill, which in turn are fixedly held to said gibway 6 by fastenings such as fillister head screws I l l I, Fig. 1.

At the top of the plunger slide, Figs. 1-2 is located a hand plunger generally denoted by l2, Figs. 1 and 2. This plunger may be otherwise constructed, but as shown, it comprises an angled lower portion I3, seated upon one side and the upper edge of plunger 9, and held thereto by screws such as I 4. When this hand plunger is struck, it is forced down to about the dotted position X, Fig, 2.

The lower end of the slide 9 is recessed to operatively receive therein a male cutting die 16, the lower end D of which is of the same outline as the bloop patch B, Fig. 6, and as indicated by its section, shown at DIG, Fig. 4. This die is removably held to slide 9 by a screw ll, the die itself being bounded at its three other edges by the recess in slide 9, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The front face of the wall frame 5 is provided with two lugs 45-45 adjacent the lower cutting edge D of the die I6 and located upon said lugs is a stripper 42 which has an opening 43 therein, Fig. 2 and in which the lower cutting edge D of the die normally rests. The stripper 42 is held on said lugs 45 by screws 4444.

Immediately below the stripper is located a female die 39, in register with the male cutting die D, and into which said die D enters upon the operation thereof to punch out a bloop patch.

Die 39 is located upon an extension 36 of the roll holding frame 35, Fig. 2, by its flange E, and is secured to the rear face of frame 5 by suitable screws, not shown. Extension 36 passes through aperture 1.

The slide 9, at its rear, Fig. 2, has an extending pin !8, which is integral with a slotted threaded end H, to be adjustable and withdrawable from the front of the slide with a screw driver. The pin end I8 extends outwardly into an aligned slotted blind bore 20 located in the rear of the slide in portion 6 of frame 5. The blind bore- 20 supports a coiled spring l9 therein on the top of which is a centering plunger 2|, upon which rests the extended slide pin end l8, and thus the spring l9 tends to keep the plunger slide die assembly in its upper position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and to return said assembly, after each bloop punching operation. A vertical slot 52 in the portion 6 gives'clearance for 'reciprocal movement of the extended pin end l8.

At the upper end of'the plunger slide 9, and adjacent thereto in portion 5, are located alined, slots 23 and [5, Fig. 2, respectively. Into these slots is projected a bell crank extension 5| of a feed arm 24, which is pivoted on a pin 26, said pin being supported between two supporting lugs 26, only one of which is shown in Fig. 2, but fully disclosed in Fig. 3. These lugs are integral with portion 6 of wall frame 5. V

The bell crank extension. 5|, Fig. 2, has a rounded cam end 21 which rides on the under face at the upper end of slot 15, during reciprocal movement of slide 9. At the mid-portion of the bell crank extension, and on the under face thereof is located an extending lug 28 which engages into the upper end of a coiled spring 23 the lower end of which is mounted upon a centering plunger 22, which in turn rests upon extending pin end l8 of the slide 9.

As described, an operative-blow upon hand plunger 42, causes die D to cut a bloop patch and throws the feed arm 24 back to the dotted position X, Fig. 2, thus to engage the bloop strip 50, to feed a fresh portion of the strip from the roll to the die position. This is accomplished as follows: the roll holding extension or frame 35 as positioned in Fig. 2 has a pair of upstanding yoke 4"! arms 46, only one of which isshown, and in these yoke arms is removably located a shaft 48 which rotatably supports a roll of bloop strip 50 and its core 54.

The frame 35 is provided on opposite sides with two spaced and flanged bloop strip guides, only one of which, 49, is shown in Fig. 2. The frame 35 is also provided with two spaced grooves, only one of which is shown in Fig. 2.

These grooves are spaced apart so as to register with the feed perforations TT in the margins A of the bloop strip 50', Fig. 5.

The arm 24, at its lower end '32, is curved outwardly and pivotally supports two spring actuated bloop strip feeder fingers 30, only one of which is shown in Fig. 2. These fingers are duplicate, have stops to limit their downward movement and are spaced apart so as to register with and engage the feed slots T'T of the bloop strip of Fig. 5. Springs 3] press the fingers downwardly, constantly. The ratchet ends 33 of fingers 30 ride in the slots 33, was to engage in the feed slots TT of the bloop strip, with a positive action.

The feed arm 24 at about its mid-section is provided with an adjusted screw 29, located in an arm lug 29 the front end of the screw resting, when the arm 24 isin its full forward position, upon the rear face of the wall frame portion 6. The purpose of this is to cause precise registration of the cutting portion of the bloop strip under the die D, on each forward feed stroke of arm 24.

Below the female die extension 36, Fig. 2, and upon table 3, is located a finished, fiat, preferably rectangular platen 40, this being held in operative position by screws 4I-4l to table 3. This platen is provided with spaced apart registering pins 38--38, properly located to permit the registering thereon of a film F to be operated upon, by its sprocket feed holes M adjacent the sound track S, these latter elements being shown in Fig. 6. When a spliced film F is properly located upon the pins 38 with the spliced portion P located under the longitudinal center of the patch cutting die and at right angles to the direction of feed of the bloop patch strip 50, a

stroke on plunger |2,cuts a patch B from the.

strip, pushes it down through female die 39, and deposits it upon the spliced film, on the sound track S, as at B, Fig. 6. As the patch has its under face coated with an adherent, the patch is permanently affixed to the film in proper bloop eliminating position, as in Fig". 6, wherein the tough paper, and having marginal feeding slots TT along both edges, to permit of step by step feeding by the feed arm 24, and being also provided with cut-out slots 0, which are located between the feed slots TT.

The patch strip material C may be of any suitable cellulosic base, opaque, and preferably black, and is treated on one face with a suitable adherent of, preferably, non-drying nature. This strip C is adhered to the paper feed strip N with its coated face against the face of the feed strip, thus unifying the two strips into a single strip, after which it is rolled, for use in the device of Figs. 1 and 2.

The feed strip performs the function of permitting the bloop strip to be rolled, without sticking and to be easily unrolled and handled, because of the use of a non-drying gum.

The openings 0 permit the blanking therethrough of a bloop patch as required, and as shown at B, Fig. 5, where two bloop patches have been blanked therefrom.

In use the bloop strip is mounted in the machine with the paper N underneath, and the said film and the patch thus firmly and accurately mounted upon the spliced sound track.

In the patch material strip, as in Fig. 5, the elongate patch perforations 0 between the marginal feed slots T on the conveyor strip 50, are so spaced as to bound, by their edges, the limits of the patch material and exposed adherent face from which the bloop patch is cut, and as so constructed the area of the patch material left exposed in the perforations is prevented from sticking when the strip is rolled for shipping and feeding.

Due to the structure of the slide 9 and its spring l9, and the spring control of the lever arm 24 and its spring 23 both of these members while operative substantially simultaneously they may have a slight lag in the return stroke.

By withdrawing the pin ll-|8 from the slide 9, the springs I9 and 23 and the centering plungers 2i and 22 may be withdrawn from their operative positions. through the extension 20' Fig. 2.

What we claim is:

l. A punch for cutting and placing a bloop eliminating patch upon a spliced, sound-on-film positive film, comprising a frame, a punch carrying slide mounted for reciprocal operation in said frame, a film patch cutter carried by said slide, a die cooperating with said cutter, means for supporting, and feeding the patch material to said die and means for holding the spliced film in registry with its splice registered under said cutter and die, whereby, when the cutter is operated to cut a patch said cutter will position said patch on said spliced film.

A punch for cutting and placing a bloop eliminating patch upon a spliced sound-on-film positive film, comprising a frame, a punch carrying slide mounted for reciprocal operation in said frame, a film patch cutter carried by said slide, a die cooperating with said cutter, means for supporting, and feeding a patch material strip; means for adjusting the feed of said patch material to said cutter and die, and means for holding the spliced film in registry with its splice registered under said cutter and die, whereby, when the cutter is operated to cut a patch said cutter will position said patch on said spliced film.

3. A punch for cutting and adhering a bloop eliminating patch upon a spliced sound-on-film positive film, comprising a frame, a punch carrying slide mounted for vertical, reciprocating operation in said frame over the patch material, a film patch cutter carried by said slide, a die cooperating with said cutter, means for supporting, and feeding said patch material strip between said cutter and die; means for limiting the feed of said patch material to said cutter and die, and means for holding the spliced film in registry with the splice registered under said cutter and die, whereby, when the cutter is operated to cut a patch said cutter will position and adhere said patch on said spliced film.

4. A machine for cutting a patch from a gummed strip of material and attaching the patch to the joined ends of a spliced picture film, the latter having thereon a sound record; comprising a frame including a die plate having an opening, the strip being disposed on the plate, a platen below the plate for carrying the film, the juncture of the ends of the record being below the opening, a guide rigid with the frame and having a plunger mounted thereon, and a cutting die element rigid with the plunger and being movable downwardly through the strip and said opening.

5. A mechanism for cutting a patch from a gummed strip of opaque material and attaching the patch to the joined ends of a spliced picture film, the latter having thereon a photographic sound record track; comprising a frame including a die plate having an opening, the strip being disposed on the plate, a platen below the plate for carrying the film, the juncture of the ends of the record being below the opening; a guide rigid with the frame and having a plunger mounted thereon, and a cutting die element rigid with the plunger and registering with the opening, whereby on a downward stroke of the plunger a patch may be cut from said strip and attached to the sound record at the joined ends thereof.

6. A mechanism for cutting an elongate patch from a gummed opaque strip of material and attaching the patch to the joined end of a spliced picture film, the latter having thereon a sound record; comprising a frame including a die plate having an elongate crosswise opening, the strip being disposed lengthwise on the plate, the opening being substantially as long as the width of the strip; a platen below the plate for carrying the film, means carried by the platen for holding the film crosswise so as to align the record below the opening; a guide rigid with the frame and having a manually operative plunger mounted thereon, and a cutting die element rigid with the plunger and registering with the opening, whereby on a downward stroke of the plunger a patch may be cut from said strip and attached to the record at the joined ends thereof.

'7. In a punch for cutting and placing a bloop eliminating patch upon a spliced sound-on-film positive filmas set forth in claim 3, a conveyor strip adapted to carry thereon a flexible strip of material coated with an adherent on one face thereof, said conveyor strip having intra-marginal openings and being wider than said patch material strip, leaving margins at opposite sides of said patch material strip and feed slots on said margins. v

8. In a punch for cutting and adhering a bloop eliminating patch upon the sound track of a spliced sound-on-film positive film as set forth in claim 1, a conveyor strip adapted to carry thereon a flexible strip of opaque material coated with an adherent on one face thereof, said strip being adapted to be centrally adhered by said coated face to said flexible conveyor strip wider than said patch material, leaving margins on opposite sides of said patch strip, feed perforations in said margins and spaced transverse slots in said conveyor strip between said marginal perforations.

9. Apparatus including a platen on which a picture film may be positioned; a traveling conveyor at least in part intramarginally open, and adapted to have secured and supported thereon a sheet of patch material having its lower face provided with adhesive; means providing a female die over said film; means to guide the conveyor to bring said material above said die; a vertically movable male die above said female die adapted when lowered to cut a patch from the patch material and adhere it to the sound band; and means adapted to engage said conveyor and feed it forwardly to bring different portions of the material successively over the male die.

10. Apparatus for cutting elongate patches from a patch strip coated on its lower face with non-drying adhesive and attaching the patches longitudinally upon the sound band of spliced picture film, said apparatus including a platen having means to thereon position film having a sound band; a guide; a conveyor means movable along and guided by said guide and adapted to support and convey said strip to bring parts thereof successively over the sound band position and to hold the adhesive out of contact with the guide; and cutting means normally out of contact with said adhesive and adapted to cut a patch from the patch strip and adhere it to the sound band 11. Apparatus including a platen having means to position film thereon; a conveyor strip provided intramarginally with transverse cut out slots; said strip being adapted to have secured longitudinally thereon a patch strip having its lower face at said cut-out slots provided with adhesive; means providing a female die over said film longitudinal to the sound band means to guide the conveyor strip above said die transverse to said film; a vertically movable male die above said female die adapted when lowered to cut a patch from the patch strip and adhere it to the sound band; and means adapted to engage said conveyor strip and feed it forwardly, and means for raising the male die to bring the cut-out slots successively over the male die.

12. Apparatus including a flat platen having means adapted to position film thereon; a roll holder; a roll of thick conveyor strip carried by said holder, provided at a margin with a series of feed slots, and intramarginally with transverse cut out slots; said strip being adapted to have secured longitudinally thereon an elongated patch strip leaving said feed slots exposed and having its lower face at said cut-out slots provided with sticky adhesive; means providing a female die on said guide plate over said film longitudinal to the sound band; means adapted to guide the conveyor strip a short distance over said die transverse to said film; a vertically slidable plunger above said die and having a lower male die adapted when lowered to cut a patch from the patch strip and adhere it to the sound band; means for raising the plunger; and means adapted to engage said feed slots and feed the conveyor strip forwardly when the plunger rises to a position to bring the cut out slots successively under the male die.

13. A thick conveyor strip provided with a series of cut out slots longer and Wider than patches to be applied; said strip being adapted to have secured-thereon an elongated patch strip having its lower face at said cut-out provided with adhesive.

14.-A roll of thick conveyor strip provided at each margin with a series of feed slots, and intramarginally with transverse cut out slots longer and wider than patches to be applied; said strip being adapted to have secured, from end to end thereon, an elongated patch strip leaving said feed slots exposed and having its lower face at said cut-out provided with sticky adhesive; said conveyor strip holding the adhesive out of contact with the top face of the patch strip of an adjacent Winding of the roll.

15. Apparatus for cutting elongate patches from patch material and attaching the patches longitudinally upon the sound band of spliced picture film, said apparatus including a frame having a flat platen having an elongated shoulder against which the edge of film on said platen may be moved into position; widely spaced pins projecting upwardly from said platen and adapted to receive thereon perforations of film placed flat in said position against the shoulder; a plate permanently fast on said frame over and spaced from the platen and terminating short of said pins, thereby to leave the pins permanently exposed and provided with a female die over which the patch material may be placed; a vertically movable male die disposable above said female die adapted when lowered to cut a patch from the patch material and adhere it to the sound band.

16. Apparatus including a platen on which to position film having a sound band; a conveyor strip provided intrarnarginally with transverse cut out slots, and adapted to hold longitudinally thereon a patch strip having its lower face provided with adhesive; a guide plate secured to the platen and having thereon means to guide the conveyor strip above and transversely to said band; the front end of said guide plate being extended over said platen and band and provided over and longitudinal to the sound band with an elongated cut out forming a female die; 1

an upright plunger vertically slidable above said die and provided at the lower end with a male die having a flat lower end with lateral cutting edges adapted when the die is lowered to cut a patch from the patch strip and adhere it longitudinally to the sound band; an intermediately fulcrumed feed arm operatively connected to the plunger with a lost motion connection and provided at its outer end with a forwardly and downwardly extended pawl adapted to engage in certain of said feed slots and feed the conveyor strip forwardly when the plunger rises; and resilient means for separately engaging and raising the plunger and the inner end of the feed arm.

17. Apparatus including a platen on which to 2 position film having a sound band; plate means providing a female die over said sound band over which a strip of patch material may be disposed; a vertically movable male die above said female die and having a lower flat face entirely surrounded by a cutting edge and adapted when lowered to cut a patch from the patch strip and adhere it to the sound band; and a stripper plate disposed just above said female die and strip and having an opening at times entirely surrounding the male die.

THOMAS J. WALSH.

JOHN ANTOFIZLLI. 

